Well, you're wise to go with a professional.

One of the worst experiences of my life — the kind where you feel so sick at the depths of your stomach — was when friends of mine had me take photos of their wedding. As I was shooting behind the altar, I was so happy with the shots I was getting. I went to the reception where I shot the 36th frame and was going to take the film out.

That's when to my horror, I realized the film never went through the camera. We'll I couldn't very well ask them to do the wedding again, so I vowed to take great reception shots.

And I did too. Again at the 36th frame, I went to take the film out. Again it never went through.

Third time was a charm, but by then it was far too late.

Oh well, at least they divorced in a few years. Not sure they had a good foundation.

That is a horror story. :-)

Hopefully there won't be any mishaps like that.  Thank goodness for digital cameras!

Oh, yeah, like nothing can ever go wrong with digital. <rollseyes>

 I didn't hire a photographer. I told all the Wedding guests "ya'll  bring your cameras and just get double prints.Okay?"  As it turned out a friend who was a professional photographer flew out to the ranch that morning and gave me all my wedding pictures as a wedding gift.  She had to fly back to Houston before the reception was over so as she and her hubby pilot circled over the ranch house she took bird's eye pictures of everyone standing in the front yard.  My folks got a big copy matted and framed as a Christmas gift that year. Everyone thinks it is so cool.  You can see all the cars and pickups parked everywhere and about a dozen head of cattle roaming about.

The cheesiest thing I ever saw at a wedding (besides the guests getting together in an old Ford pickup to help haul a junked trailer away - hey one of the guests had a hitch!) were disposable cameras at the wedding.  They were on every table and guests were encouraged to take (AND DEVELOP!) the photos and send a copy back to the groom and groom.  LOL I took the worst photos imaginable, of guy's butts, people eating, myself with a spoon for a monocle, and dutifully developed them and sent a copy off.  They were so stupid they thanked me for my talented photos - whatever!

Steve that is terrible about your camera!  I think I would have left and claimed my camera was stolen.  I can see you doing "reshoots" of various scenes - the bride's mascara staining her makeup and pure white dress as her perfect moment is forever ruined.  Aaaah!

I've done that before though, although I typically expose the film to sunlight, drop it in the water or find someone making a stupid face that ruins the entire shot.  The only problem I've had with digital cameras is when I took compromising pictures of a friend (we were drunk) and we fought over the memory card, the card fell, disappeared under a bathroom sink, and two scabbed hands later I recovered it but not the contents - it had ceased to work.  I still have the scars too. :(